Euphorbia Species, Pencil Cactus, Milk Bush, Pencil Euphorbia, Rubber Hedge Euphorbia

On Jun 1, 2016, Lkuhlman from Placentia, CA wrote:

Plant can be stunning when it diplays its full array of stem coloration (green, yellow, hot pink, red) which is influenced by its growing conditions. Extremely easy to propagate...stick a cutting in some soil in a pot of any size and ignore it. Have a number of cuttings grow 2 ft tall in 3in pots that get minimal consistent moisture. Definitely be careful around the white latex sap, it's nasty. It is a desert plant that will throw a lot of green growth when it receives regular watering.

On Sep 23, 2014, RJohnson95 from Fort Myers, FL wrote:

This unusual plant does contain that lovely sap that can cause major scarring. When trimming it (because in SW Fl, they get monstrous) always wear protective clothing. I have had several of these plants (most were clippings from neighbors) and in a short time they grew into giants and seemed to take over everything.

On Jun 25, 2013, 1firestick from Weaverville, CA wrote:

Has anyone used the sap of this plant for skin cancer or pre skin cancer?

On Aug 28, 2012, Nefitara from Port Richey, FL (Zone 9a) wrote:

I would have gave this plant a positive rating, but due to the sap I gave it a neutral. I have 2 of these plants, both in pots. From what I've seen so far is that they do have sap that burns the skin...although for me, it's not as bad as everyone else. I do trim it about every 2 months and yes!...they do grow very quickly, but with all that said, they are beautiful plants overall. I would suggest leaving them in pots, starting with a decent size pot so you don't have to re-pot so quickly. Just wear gloves and/or wash your hands with soap (very good) after handling! DO NOT touch your eyes at all, even if you think your hands are clean of sap! ouchie!!

On Feb 19, 2011, wimmer from Santa Rosa, CA wrote:

Thank you to all the gardeners who took the time to post their experiences with this plant. I have two of them: one is the green variety and the second is the red-orange variety. I live in Santa Rosa, CA, and both plants are kept outdoors in terra cotta pots from spring through autumn. The green variety, called a pencil plant, is a fast grower and I had difficulty hauling it into the house for the winter. I decided to leave both plants out doors which was decidedly disagreeable for the pencil plant. Although it was protected from frost, the cold temperatures caused it to drop its stems. It is now a third of its summer size. The remaining trunk and stems appear healthy, so, I'm hopeful it will recover. The orange-red plant, called 'fire-sticks', did fairly well with the cold tempe... read moreratures. Any suggestions how to prune the pencil plant when it returns to health? Thanks

On Jul 18, 2010, Suzecav from Hyde Park, NY wrote:

I have had a medium sized houseplant version of this specimen for several years and use it for my Ikebana arrangements. When brushing near it, pruning or cutting stems for use, I *always* have wet paper towel for surfaces and tools, a plastic container of water for the stems (which go RIGHT in until the milky sap stops) and wear gloves when working with it. It has once dropped a drip of sap on my wood shelf; it was extremely hard to remove three minutes later. So, fast is better when dealing with getting the sap off of you, your things and your tools. Other than that, it is an amazing addition to the room in which it is housed, growing nicely and needing water about every ten days (a good soaking at that point).

On Apr 11, 2010, nomosno from San Diego, CA (Zone 10b) wrote:

This is a striking looking plant but the sap and top-heaviness issues make it less than unending fun. I had one here in San Diego that fell over three times, the last time decapitating a ponytail agave, after which I decided to get rid of it (I don't like to kill plants unless I really hate them so I replanted it in a canyon.)

BTW I have to disagree with the hardiness report of 9a. I lived in NYC before and had this plant in a pot, the first overnite frost, barely below freezing, killed it when I forgot to bring it in.

On Dec 21, 2008, Malus2006 from Coon Rapids, MN (Zone 4a) wrote:

This plant is very tough for inside a house - the only problem is the sap and the fact that I notice no one metioned below - it is very hard to prune - it have a tough woody interior and the sap gums up the pruning tools.

On Jun 18, 2008, sandiegojames from San Diego, CA wrote:

I'm generally of the "no bad plants, only bad gardeners" slant, but this is one plant that must be considered seriously before you grow it, particularly if you let it loose in the ground. I've seen enormous "trees" of it in West Hollywood, probably 25 feet tall and 40 wide. A cute little cutting can grow into a small monster before you know it--my experience. The roots grow vigorously and can knock over walls. The burning sap is also an issue.

The green trunk with little pencil leaves is a striking presence, for sure. But it doth get out of control easily. The red, "Sticks of Fire," clone is much better behaved, size-wise, and at least as satisfying a plant.

On Feb 25, 2007, flmjr from Peoria, AZ wrote:

I am in Peoria, Arizona. There are about twenty of these pencil cactus plants around the yard. In January we had a short cold snap with over night tempuratures in the 27 to 30 degree range. The stems have all turned white and the they are falling off of the branches. The bark is discolored in places. I am wondering if the pencil cacti will come back or are they gone. If anyone has some experience, I would appreciate sharing.

On Mar 13, 2006, sjbrower from Jacksonville Beach, FL wrote:

I've had this plant for about 10 years now. We've always referred to these as "Pencil Cactus". It was given to me by a friend, and I had it in a small pot for a long time. About 2 years ago, I transplanted it to a larger pot...it seemed to like the room and really took off! It is about 5 feet tall now, and very healthy. I take the warnings about the sap very seriously and keep this plant away from where people would pass by, but enjoy the interesting shape and look of this plant.

On Oct 31, 2005, jrbrucejr from Los Angeles, CA (Zone 10b) wrote:

Recently relocated to the Los Angeles area, Silver Lake neighborhood, about 5 miles NE of downtown. Our new property has several large specimens, which exhibit many of the same characteristics others have described. 2 days ago, I "pruned" a large limb, 4-5 ft, and replanted it as a new small tree, and experienced first hand the caustic nature of the sap. I knew that it was sticky, and had heard to be careful. I allowed multiple drops to remain on my skin for 3-4 hours while working in the yard and ended up with rash and blisters on each spot. I also rubbed an eye, due to dust, and fortunately only had severe burning for a couple of hours. The blisters are mostly healed today. The plant grows well, transplants easily, looks cool, but BE CAREFUL. That sap is really Bad.

On Nov 11, 2004, KactusKathi from Goodyear, AZ (Zone 9a) wrote:

I have found this plant to be a welcomed addition to my garden. Even though the sap can be harmful if you take the time to cover the wounds with loose soil you will find that the sap stops flowing in no time and thus will not touch your skin.

I have gone so far as to trim this plant for the Holidays with lights and Christmas balls!

On Jul 18, 2004, Monocromatico from Rio de Janeiro,
Brazil (Zone 11) wrote:

This plant can be propagated very easily by cuttings. In fact, almost any bits of it, when reaching the ground, can root and become another shrub. It also grows very fast, and almost nothing can cause harm to it.

It becomes a dense shrub, perfect for hedges, genuine living fences. Unlike other hedge plants, it has no spines or sharp branches, but a very, very toxic sap. It can cause skin burns and irritation to the most sensitive skins, can cause irreversible damage to the eyes, not to mention that it can be an extremely dangerous poison if ingested. The plant become dangerous as it grows, because the branches stay fragile, and tend to fall off under its own weight, liberating the sap over whoever stands close to it.

However, this dangerous sap is being resear... read moreched for its medicinal properties. It is said to be a multiple role remedy against amny deseases, like cancer, and so laboratories are rushing to find a way to use this plant to cure these deseased without causing damages to the organism.

On Jul 15, 2004, chel97 from Joliet, IL wrote:

I've owned one of these for 5 years, grown from a neighbor's cutting. Makes a great houseplant in a large terra cotta pot!

On Aug 15, 2003, palmbob from Acton, CA (Zone 8b) wrote:

Though these can make great looking specimen trees in Southern California, they are often trouble in the garden. They get huge in no time (had 1' tall plant become a 100lb+ monster in 5 years) and then they start to break and fall apart in high winds, collapsing on surrounding vegetation. They need to be pruned regularly. And THAT's no fun, either. Being a Euphorbia, they are full of that nasty, sticky sap. It gets all over you, and just brushing up against it will break or damage the delicate tissues causing seepage of that irritating substance. It gets on clothes and is very hard to get out. It gets all over your skin and is somewhat irritation ( note that there is a huge variation in how this sap affects people... many are only mildly irritated by it, like me, but some people react... read more severely to the sap, like my friend, and get blisters from it). But the worst part is it gets all over your hands and should you rub your eyes accidentally (OUCH!!- i did, several times)- that will be an experience you won't soon forget.

This is a super easy plant to propagate here in southern California; just take any larger cutting (or 'falling') and stuff it in the ground.

Before I tired of this plant I would do that all the time, in either a pot or somewhere else in the yard and, so far, have not had an unsuccessful regrowth of a pencil tree. Now I have yanked them all out (or sawed the larger ones down). I have a friend that also has several of these and his soil is very soft/sandy. The entire trees will sometimes topple over in his soil squishing all the surrounding plants. Now he is trying to dig his up, too. So careful about adding this plant to your collection, unless you can plant if far from traffic and support it against a wall or by some other means.

I am very suspicious about the reported cold hardiness of this plant above... reports of damage to it in cooler climates at freezing suggest that though it could tolerate a real cold snap in a warm climate, I seriously doubt it could survive for very long outside zone 9a or maybe 8b planted as an outdoor plant (for example they cannot get this plant to survive even the mildest climates in England)